Rivalry
by NotYourTypicalEmily
Summary: Two vibrant young ladies decide to try and do the unthinkable: Overthrow the host club. However, rivalry is a dangerous thing and it could lead to some odd obstacles. OC submissions closed!
1. Recruitments

Rivalry

Chapter One ~ What the Hell am I Getting Myself Into?

"Emirii, this is seriously not dignified."

The blonde girl pouted at her disobedient friend. Why couldn't she lighten up and realise this would be fun? Tilting her head slightly, Emirii circled her friend with her pout still plastered over her lips as her hair bobbed with each step.

"'Hina," she moaned, "Please, please, please, _please_ do this with me! I can't do it alone and I need a variety of girls to help me do this!"

Hinata sighed slightly. Her friends face was only a few inches away from her own and she had to resist the deepening urge to reach out and slap it. She ran a hand through her hair and raised an eyebrow,

"You can do it without me, right? There are plenty good looking girls here…"

Emirii shook her head, "No! I need you Hinata. Please?"

As soon as Emirii said it, she knew she had got the girl hooked into her plan. Guilt was always the easiest way to get Hinata to do what she wanted, the girl had a backbone but when it was matched with Emirii's persuasive technique of irritation mixed with false sadness, she knew Hinata would go putty in her hands. Especially if she said 'I really thought you'd help… I'm disappointed.'

Giving a squeal the taller girl pulled Hinata into a hug, "I knew you would! We have to start preparing straight away…"

The already irritated Hinata pulled away and scowled, "I still don't understand why you'd want to even attempt rivaling that stupid Host club."

Emirii paused slightly and her lips twitched up into a small smile, "You don't have to understand, you've said yes and now it's all settled."

Hinata sighed and flicked her long hair out of her face, already beginning to regret her decision, she turned her attention to the room around them. Pacing around as her footsteps echoed,

"So the headmaster's already granted us the room to start it up?"

Emirii smiled and nodded enthusiastically, "As long as we're persistent, this could be the biggest club Ouran has seen! We could make history, be admired, be…"

Hinata shut off as she usually did when her friend went off on melodramatic rants. She had to admit, the room itself wasn't that bad and it looked like it promised a lot of…vibrancy? That wasn't the word she was looking for, but it seemed to suit the room moderately. She ran her hand up and down a table next to her and started to think.

"Just think of it, Hina! We'll be role models to all the girls of Ouran! No, all the girls in Japan! No, no… The girls in the world! No… The girls in-"

"Yes, yes Emirii…" she had to stifle a chuckle. Emirii was usually a sharp girl who never really tended to get over-excited, but when she did she became infuriating and hysterical at the same time. "There's one thing though…"

The blonde pointed, "Shut up Hinata, you always put a downer on my mood. What is it?"

Hinata raised her eyebrows and smiled gently, "We need to recruit other hostesses."

Emirii's shoulders sagged and she raised her finger to her lips in a manner that made it seem that she was thinking hard about something,

"Oh yes… We do, don't we?" she started to chuckle, "Oh… The host club will be so pissed…"

**((A/N: Please excuse the horrible introduction It will get better, I swear down! But yeah, I need hostess OC's to join c: If you're interested please leave a review. I'm looking for five girls! **

**Please fill in this form if you want them to be apart of the story:**

_**Name: (Pretty Self Explanatory) **_

_**Age: (Again, self explanatory XD)**_

_**Ethnic Background: (Race/Nationality ^^)**_

_**Brief Description of Appearance: (This doesn't have to be thorough, just so if needed I can describe them myself c: )**_

_**Positive Traits: (So the aspects of their personality that are 'good', so if they're hard working or... kind? This is where it goes)**_

_**Negative Traits: (Everyone has flaws ^^ Mary sues are just annoying, right?)**_

_**Neurosis: (Fears or phobias)**_

_**What type of host are they? - (e.g. - Tamaki is the 'Prince' type)**_

_**Romantic Interests: (If any ^^' If another OC is your hostesses romantic interest then please ask the owner before you put them down aaaaand I'll need them to fill in this form too! c: If you own the OC then just include the profile along with your hostesses c: ) **_

**Hope to hear from you!)) **


	2. And so it begins

Rivalry 

Chapter Two – And so it Begins

"Tamaki, will you _listen?"_

The blonde boy paused, everyone did, and they turned to see an agitated Kyouya grasping at his notebook so hard his knuckles turned white. He took a moment to adjust his glasses and sighed, Tamaki looked up and raised his eyebrows.

"What is it?" he said, posing so that his head rested on the back of his hand, his lips turned into an amused little smile.

"Emirii Shanbara and Hinata Moore have set out to start a hostess club, my sources tell me that Emirii is the one who thought of it and the leader."

Tamaki tilted his head, musing over what Kyouya said, "Ah I see… But why the worried tone, Kyouya? So a few girls are starting a club…"

The dark haired boy shook his head and mentally counted to ten, reminding himself not to hit the other man. He smiled gently and showed Tamaki the two photos of the girls he had managed to obtain. The blonde raised his brow slightly and took the two photos in his hands,

"Yes, they're very pretty… Now what is your point?"

Sighing, Kyouya pointed at the smaller chestnut haired girl, "_That_ is Hinata Moore. She's a fiery girl, one of the younger second years with a real temper and I've witnessed her sharp tongue and sarcasm firsthand. Also, you'll notice her surname is _foreign._"

The colour drained from Tamaki Suoh's face, "You don't mean…"

Kyouya nodded, "Yes. They have the power of accents behind them."

"Oh dear god," the taller boy ran a hand through his hair and he looked at the picture of the doll-like girl as if she was an omen sent upon him from his worst enemies.

"English as well I think…"

Tamaki covered his ears and shook his head as if to block out any more bad news. When he had returned to his normal state, Kyouya tapped the picture of the blonde girl, smiling gently at the image.

"And _that_ is Emirii Shanbara. Do not let her appearance fool you; she is far from the sweet girl she appears to be. She won't have anything against her word and will argue her point and will make the other back down."

"I get it! I get it!" Tamaki sighed, "If those girls are in charge then they could offer spaces for our _customers_ in their club…"

"And if the secret about Haruhi gets out…"

"Don't say such things!" the blonde boy said angrily, his brow furrowed, "I won't let them have Haruhi…"

Kyouya smiled, the other members of the host club gathered, each with mixed expressions on their faces. Tamaki took a deep breath and smiled back at his dark haired companion, "I guess we've gained a rival, right?"

_Meanwhile in Music Room Six_

The girls in front of them seemed terrified, they were all but shaking. Hinata sighed and slumped in her seat, she was still annoyed that she allowed herself to be roped into such affairs. However, Emirii was pacing from one end of the line to the other, her eyes hungrily looking the girls up and down as if to just make sure she had chosen the right girls. With a satisfied nod, she backed away and gave them all a great smile; one that she hoped would reassure them all.

"Hello girls, I understand that you are all probably wondering why we asked you to attend today…"

"_Asked _them?" Hinata said, raising an eyebrow and sniggering, "You all but bundled them into a sack and dragged them by their hair."

The blonde turned around sharply and gave the smaller girl a look that would stop the thug Kasanoda in his tracks. Hinata, however, was used to it and simply shrugged before giving her an elfish smile. Emirii turned back around on her heel and coughed,

"Anyway," she said briskly, "We're thinking about starting a club… For hostesses."

A gentle faced girl with auburn hair shyly peered at the two girls in front of them with a sweetness that would make any man turn and stare, "A-as in, like the host club?"

"Yes, like the host club." Emirii said confidently, "I trust you ladies will help? We chose you ourselves because each of you has a certain charm that we think would be a very useful aspect of this club."

There was an awkward pause, Emirii shuffled uncomfortably on the spot and Hinata sighed. Emirii was fine at arguing but motivational speaking was not her 'forte' so to speak. Instead, the fiery small girl stepped to the shy girl, whom had previously spoken.

"Anika Takahashi, right?" she nodded and Hinata grinned,

"You're the 'shy' type. Boys will like you because they feel the need to look out for you, you're also Scottish and have red hair which gives a 'Celtic' charm." She gave the girls shoulder a pat and moved down the line.

"And then there's Miss Akemi Rinka. You're the daughter of some big designer people, right? You have a sneaky aura about you, guys find that 'alluring' or whatever… Also, wouldn't you like to get back at the stupid Hitachiin brothers?"

The blonde girl in front of Hinata smirked gently and held out a hand primly, Emirii rushed forward and shook it in a business-like way and continued down the line next to her smaller companion.

"Rumiko Asai…More commonly known as 'Asa', yes? You have an innocence about you, boys like that. You're like… The female equivalent to Mitskuni Haninozuka."

The girl in front of her gave a small nod and her black hair bobbed around her head in shocking shining waves, Emirii grinned at her and gave her a cheeky wink. Hinata nudged her friend in the rib, reminding her to behave.

"And then Miyuki…Er… I'm sorry, I don't know your second name?"

"Its just Miyuki," the bluntness of her reply made Hinata cringe away, taking a moment to regain herself. She nodded and played with a strand of her hair,

"Oh…Er.. Yes. Anyway. You have an intelligent aura about you and I've heard from a few people on campus that you have good leadership skills which means when Emirii screws up…"

"Hey!"

Hinata received a thump at the back of her head, she winced and rubbed it but continued on otherwise like nothing happened, "You can help us out."

Miyuki raised an eyebrow somewhat quizzically, however, she seemed like she wasn't going to argue and the corners of her mouth twitched as if she was fighting back a bemused smile.

"And then last but obviously not least, Rose Umasami. You have a bit of a dominant edge. Believe it or not, boys like being told what to do, they find it appealing."

Rose smiled gently, obviously pleased to be seen as 'dominant.' She played with her second earring on her left ear feebly and nodded along with what Hinata was saying.

The small elfish girl backed away from the line and sat in her seat once more, deciding that they all seemed hook and that her blonde companion didn't stand a chance in screwing it up now.

Emirii smiled, giving a sassy little twirl and strutting slightly to where Hinata sat, her hands clasped behind her back and a cheery little smile on her face. "Now, you may ask what Hinata and I have that is useful to the club…"

The chestnut haired girl looked at her friend despairingly, "Emirii that isn't necessary…"

"Look at Hina, if you will." Hinata groaned as Emirii paced around her, "She has features that make her look innocent, an South Londoner accent and recklessly customizes her uniform."

"I just wear converses…"

"People will stereotype her to be a ruffian and hope to handle her and lets not forget that short temper of hers…"

"Shut the hell up, Emirii!"

"Anyway," Emirii said cutting off the protesting small girl to her right, "I'm here to sort out financial benefits, negotiation deals and cosplay. Also to entertain boys with more… _refined _tastes."

Hinata sighed, butting in before her friend screwed the plan up completely, "Moving on. We hope we can count on you five to help us make this club the best it can be."

The line of girls shuffled uncomfortably and tried to compose themselves, as if to come across like they were considering it. Hinata flashed them a smile, knowing that they were all hooked. As if on cue, they all nodded excitedly. Emirii gave a squeal and ran over to them, randomly hugging members and thanking them graciously, her elegant features lighting up with excitement. Hina stayed on her seat, only paying much attention when auburn hair came into her view. She smiled at the girl she had first picked on as an example,

"Hi Anika. Thanks for the help," she said leaning on her palm.

The Scottish girl twiddled with her thumbs slightly before giving the smaller girl a smile, "Hinata… Do you think we'll really surpass the host club?"

"In all honest, I have no idea… It'd be nice to see the look on that absolute tool Tamaki Suoh's face if we did though."

As if on clue, the door swung open and seven handsome figures entered the room loudly. Hinata looked around boredly and gave an amused little smile when she caught the eye of one Kyouya Ootori. Emirii smiled, her green eyes lighting up as she did so. The rest of the girls either looked bashful or shared Emirii's excitement, Tamaki swayed over to Rose his deep blue eyes pleading.

"Please princess, don't do this… Come to the host club, we'll treat you well."

"Bite me, pretty boy," she said bluntly, sniffing and turning away. Tamaki faltered before regaining composure and smiling gently but before he could even attempt to say anything Kyouya cut him off.

"Emirii, you don't know what you're getting yourself into," he said with curt politeness. The blonde girl smiled and waltzed over to him, stroking his cheek and tapping the bridge of his glasses.

"I think I do, Ootori. You needn't worry." They exchanged firm looks for a few seconds but the dramatic atmosphere was cut off by abrupt laughter and yells. Emirii turned to see Akemi crowded by the two Hitachiin brothers.

"You guys picked _her_ to be in the club?" Kaoru said through his chortles,

"She'll scare them off! I'll give you all two days tops before you go out of business," Hikaru joined in.

Akemi's face was growing hot and she yelled back, her temper getting the better of her, "Shut up doppelgangers!"

Now Emirii thought of it, it seemed that everyone but Haruhi, Mori and Hinata (the lazier of the groups) were arguing with each other. She gave a small chuckle and flicked her wrist, signaling the host's dismissal,

"Leave now. We'll see what happens soon enough," she said with a cheeky wink.

The host members straightened up and each of them waltzed out of the door with feigned attitude. Tamaki peeked behind the door before they shutting and gave them all a dazzling smile,

"Bring it on, ladies."


	3. And so it begins Again

Rivalry

Chapter One ~ And so it Begins…Again.

"Welcome boys."

The room was a picture of elegance; each corner full of beauty and the appearance was complimented by a variety of sweet scents. However, the surroundings were no match to the seven girls whom stood in the center of the room, each of them gracing silk kimonos. It had been a week and Emirii had fun picking out the outfits for them all to wear. Now, as Spring's flowers bloomed the girls set out to fulfill their 'duties.'

The customers all piled in and sat with their favorites. Sighing to herself, Miyuki rolled her eyes before painting a false smile on her face and bowing her head to the boys whom crowded her. She had no interest in anyone whom attended as a customer. The only reason she had kept up with the stupid club was the friendship that seemed to be blossoming with the other hostesses. However, as a regular sat opposite her, she acted like she had been waiting for him all day.

"Hello Satoru, good day?" she asked, blinking her dark eyes at him. She saw him gulp before answering rather shakily,

"Y-yes, thank you."

With a small giggle she ducked behind her brown hair to hide the fact her eyebrows had shot straight up her forehead. The boy seemed to think it was just a nervous giggle and chuckled along with her. As she looked up she couldn't help feel a bit guilty so she flashed him a smile and continued with the conversation.

Other than that rather awkward mess up in communication, it seemed that all the hosts were at ease. However, Akemi edgily looked around ignoring the compliment from her client.

"M-Miss Rinka, is something wrong?" she smiled at the boy opposite, tilting her head slightly so that her wavy hair fell to one side,

"Will you excuse me for just one moment?"

He gave a nod and the girl got out of her seat and went straight over to Hinata. Usually, affairs would be brought up with Emirii however she had been stressing over financial matters and everyone was warned to keep away from her.

"Hina, I think we have a weasel in here…" The co-worker looked up from her client and tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, keeping up with her 'sarcastic and cool' façade. Akemi sighed and twirled a lock of blonde hair around her finger and looked quite obviously at a person just hovering around the door. He was too far to see his face but other than that, Hinata caught up on a suspicious aura. She nodded firmly and then turned to her customer.

"Sorry 'bout this. Akemi, pour him some tea whilst I go talk to that boy at the door. He might just be shy or something…"

The small girl walked with determination to the boy at the door, he tensed as she approached. She gave a little grin and bowed her head slightly so that her hair fell in her face, "Hello. Please don't be shy, feel free to come in and sit with one of our girls. Would you like some tea?"

The boy in front of her was tall by anyone's standards. He had long red hair that was pulled into a scruffy half-up-half-down ponytail, he had a yellow shirt on underneath the uniform and the usual white school shirt was completely unbuttoned to show off said yellow shirt. Hinata raised her eyebrows; he seemed like a boy who tried way too hard to be 'tough' or 'scary.' However, when she looked him in the eye he seemed to waver,

"Uh. Yeah. Can I sit buy those two?" he jerked his thumb in the direction of the shrinking Anika and vibrant Asa. Hinata gave a polite smile and turned around,

"I'll introduce you."

Taking small steps as not to tread on the crimson silk she wore, Hina looked around the room to find Emirii. The blonde girl was sat crowded by customers and dressed in a green kimono, she had a smile painted on her face but her eyes occasionally flickered to her diary or notepad. Laughing to herself, Hinata carried on and took the tall red head to Anika and Asa's table.

"Girls, this is a new arrival. He asked to sit with you," Anika peered up at the older girl with her blue eyes and felt a blush creep on her face, Asa was prepared with a sweet smile already in place. The boy next to Hinata hesitantly took a seat and looked at the two with an expression that alarmed the two with how simple it looked.

"H-Hello," the auburn-haired Scottish girl said, smiling wryly and nodding before putting her hand on the handle of the teapot, "Tea?"

The tall boy opposite felt his pulse race and his face get hot. The girl was almost sickeningly sweet, "Yes please."

Asa sighed; the boys voice was rough and low. She wasn't interested in him remotely but still she smiled and pushed her hair back as Anika poured the tea delicately into the boy's cup, "We're not aware of your name. I'm Rumiko Asai, but you can call me 'Asa' since everyone does. This is Anika Takahashi."

The boy took a sip from the cup appreciatively and then said in his blunt manner, "Ritsu Kasanoda. Everyone calls me Kasanoda."

"Kasanoda…" Asa said, tilting her head musingly, "I'm sure I've heard that name before…"

The redhead boy paused, making the atmosphere pretty much silent. Picking up on it Anika smiled and blushed slightly, "It's a rather unique name. It suits you," before ducking her head and taking a sip out of her own cup. Kasanoda blinked his hazel eyes at her and felt his head reel slightly, Asa grinned to herself picking up on the redhead's aura and feelings towards her Celtic companion. She grinned,

"Kasanoda, you're blushing," she said giving a girlish chuckle. The rough looking boy frowned,

"N-no I'm not."

"And a stutter, do you like Anika already, Kasanoda?" If it were anyone else, the boy would have punched them square in the face. However, the small girl blinked her golden brown eyes up at him and smiled in a way that was almost childlike. He sighed and fiddled with his hair,

"Can I just have…more tea?"

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Rose sighed, tottering around in her violet kimono. They all had looked great and worked their hardest yet again. The only problem with being a hostess was helping to organise the cups and china slightly so the clearing team didn't think of them as slobs. Some of the other girls had already changed back into their school uniforms and Rose was battling with herself whether or not to do the same since it was very easy to tear the silk and if she did she knew Emirii would go insane and probably make her pay it back.

Asa sighed, stretching and yawning lazily. "That boy you brought over was really tiring. He just kept staring at Anika and I had to fight to make conversation."

Akemi looked over at Hinata, running a hand through her hair, "Was that the scary one just loitering by the door?" Hina gave a small nod and Anika butt in timidly.

"His name was Kasanoda and he's not really that scary…"

Emirii dropped the china she was carrying, making everyone jump. If anyone else had even chipped a cup then she would have instantly been writing out a bill for them, however, she ignored it and whipped around and looked at the shy girl. With her eyebrows furrowed and her lips pulled back into a tight line, she shook her head and said,

"I'm sorry. Did you say Kasanoda? As in, Ritsu Kasanoda?"

Anika, being the shy and awkward girl she was hesitantly nodded and cringed away from the taller and older blonde. Emirii's face flushed and she turned around and marched out murmuring under her breath words that no one else could actually hear. The auburn haired sweetheart looked at Hina. Everyone turned their view on her. Hinata sighed and smiled coyly at them in an attempt to calm them down or to reassure her. She broke into a jog to catch up with her companion.

"Oi! Blondie!" she yelled at Emirii's retreating figure. She didn't stop and Hina had to pick up speed to get into the same pace as her,

"Where d'you think you're going? You really scared Anika, you know.."

The taller girl shook her head and burst into the all too familiar music room three to be greeted by the host club clearing up after themselves and as if she planned it, Ritsu Kasanoda stood in front of Kyouya Ootori speaking to him in a hushed tone. As if a fuse went off in her brain, Hina finally caught on and had to stifle laughter. However, Emirii was far from amused and marched straight up to the two.

"Ootori, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Hello Emirii, that's not very lady-like language."

"Shut up you scheming, deceiving, arrogant douchebag!"

A tall figure loomed over Hinata, she turned to see the frightening looking Mori. His face was cool but he seemed like he was expecting trouble, she held up her hands and laughed,

"Hey buddy, I just followed my psychopathic boss. No harm intended," he raised his eyebrows and watched with her, not taking any notice when the small Mistkuni Honey jumped on his back and watched along with them.

"You'll find that you brought this upon yourself, we warned you…" Emirii's brow furrowed, her whole frame shaking with rage and her lip stuck out in a small pout. The dark haired male opposite her continued smiling with a pleasantness that felt like a kick in the teeth to the girl. She shook her head and sighed,

"You _always_ have to be better than me," she murmured before returning to her normal tone, "Fine. Have it your way, Ootori. Kasanoda, if you so much as step a toe in music room six I'll tear the pretty hairs from your head."

She turned sharply and walked to the door, Hinata went to follow but the blonde shook her head, "Don't follow me, okay? I want to be alone."

The English girl nodded slightly and watched her friend leave, as the door slammed she winced and took a seat and began to rub at her temples. The hosts turned to face her, as if willing her to leave, she sniggered realising that she wasn't entirely welcome. Hinata tilted her head, smiling at the boys gently and raising her eyebrows as the doors opened to reveal a few other girls waltzing in.

Akemi, Miyuki and Rose stepped in. Their faces like stone and their hostility towards the host club nearly oozing out of each movement they made. The twins sighed and looked at Akemi,

"Hey, Princess. Get out okay?" Hikaru said with a chuckle.

She turned and venomously scowled at the identical males, "What have you done to annoy Emirii? She went berserk, telling us all to get out and leave her alone. Asa and Anika looked like they were going to cry."

They didn't answer, Tamaki approached the sitting Hinata and gave all of the girls a smile.

"Ladies, this has all been blown out of proportion.. Why don't you all sit down and Haruhi will pour you all a cup of tea, okay?"

The other girls looked at the lean blonde as if he had just suggested they all strip down and share a bath. However, Hinata looked around the room cautiously. She saw the look on the host's faces and thought that if they came back with some stupid remark, there would be more damage done. So, instead of biting their heads off like she usually would have, she nodded and gave the hosts a smile.

"Okay. That sounds… Fine," the other girls looked at her, their expressions as if she had said something unthinkably obscene. Tamaki grinned down at her and Haruhi was already setting the teapot to boil the water. Mori raised his eyebrows at her along with the other members in the room besides herself, Kyouya and Tamaki.

When they all had their tea in their hands, she took a sip before looking at Kyouya over the brink of her teacup and let her eyes get cool, "Now, Ootori." She said with a playful tone, she had met him when she lived in London and he had visited her Father along with his own on a business trip, they often let slide sly remarks and sarcastic comments. He grinned slightly and adjusted his glasses,

"What's actually gone on between you and Emirii?"

He laughed hoarsely, put his notepad down and took a seat opposite Hinata. The hostesses all leaned in as if hoping to hear more, Honey sat down on the floor and eagerly blinked up at the two and the rest of the host's simply grinned, as if they heard this story before.

"Well…"

**((A/N: Cliffie? I think? I hope everyone's enjoyed the story so far! I'm trying my best to make it good ^^))**


	4. Tell us a story, Mummy

Rivalry

Chapter Four ~ Tell us a Story, Mummy

"Emirii's upbringing was always similar to my own. We've both been handled with a strong business ethic almost installed into us and since our families have always been close they sort of handled us like we were siblings." Rose took a seat on the arm of Hinata's chair, it was as if the British were sticking together and even though the older girl could pretend that she was strong Rose knew that if Kyouya said a word against her closest friend, Hina was likely to snap. She put her arm around the back of the chair almost protectively as if to warn the Ootori boy to be delicate with his words.

"When we were older, our progression in education and all around business motives became apparent to our families and we were encouraged to try and beat the other in various activities. Like a game, if you will…"

"_Game?_" came a snort, Kyouya turned to see Akemi leant on a wall with the twins either side of her. She fiddled with her hair and rolled her eyes, "Don't you mean _brainwashing_?"

"Call it what you may but there has always been a competition between Emirii and I. She's always been affected by it direly and is always way too proud to admit it." He took a sip of tea and paused, "This hostess club seems to be one of her attempts to 'surpass' me like she always says she will."

"And you're trying to ruin it for her," Miyuki said, acid practically dripping from her words. Kyouya looked at her for a moment before adjusting his glasses as if to regain some sort of cool exterior that he prided himself on,

"Emirii needs to learn that business isn't a game and that there are going to be obstacles in her way to gain what she wants."

Akemi's face flushed as she took several quick and harsh steps towards the dark haired boy with her hand raised in the air, "You're a complete and utter…" her words were cut short by two hands covering her mouth and sealing her lips. She fought against the two twins, Hikaru sighed,

"Be reasonable Miss Rinka," he said teasingly though his eyes were soft. She pulled away from the two and stared at Hinata with her eyes bulging and her face positively beetroot either from anger or embarrassment that she had allowed herself to be 'caught' by the annoying doppelganger Hitachiins.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" she demanded, her arms flailing around hopelessly. The other girls whipped their heads around to look at their 'fill-in-boss.' Hinata was looking at Kyouya intently, ignoring all the stares she received. Hina had only really crossed paths with Kyouya once before she came across to Japan with her parents but the two understood each other clearly. Both being close to Emirii, they were unable to see her hurt but Kyouya seemed to obliviously be lashing out at her through family spite. However, there was truth behind his words and she couldn't deny it just to reassure everyone. Instead, she smiled softly and said,

"I understand, Kyouya. She does need to learn how to overcome obstacles," all the hostesses looked at her incredulously, she got up from her chair and brushed past Mori whom stood a little in her way. He looked at her retreating figure as she lay her teacup on the tray and started to exit the room, "And at the moment, the obstacle is you Ootori. So we will help her surpass said obstacle." She turned and gave a sweet smile as if to lighten the tone,

"I think it's time I better find Emirii. Girls leave when you want."

She opened the door and closed it delicately before leaning against it and uttering a small infuriated sigh. She stood there only for a moment before breaking into a light jog back to music room six to go and attempt to encourage Emirii.

The girls inside stood frozen. Haruhi cleared her throat and said in a light tone,

"You're welcome to stay if you need to…"

"That won't be necessary." The brunette turned to see Rose get to her feet and follow the path Hinata had taken, "We'd best be leaving."

Miyuki nodded and followed Rose with a coldness on her face that would probably turn milk sour, the two girls left the room with a hostile aura around them. Akemi nodded and went to exit the room too but was stopped by the twins standing in front of her, she glared at them and tapped her foot,

"Let me go you two. Not the right time nor the right place to be fooling around." Hikaru and Kaoru rolled there eyes and took an arm each,

"We're just escorting you out," Kaoru said with a grin.

She struggled and fought, especially when they took her past the door and in the complete opposite direction of music room six. When they finally put her down, Akemi reached up to slap them both but a bemused Hikaru stopped her hand in it's tracks. Her face turned scarlet as she whipped it back to her side,

"Just leave me alone, idiots."

"Calm down princess," Hikaru said teasingly, the two leant on each other and grinned coyly at her. Unimpressed, she looked away with her jaw clenched and contemplated how good it'd feel knee them both in the…

"Anyway," Kaoru said, "Now we've got you own, we need to give you a message from our parents."

She raised her eyebrow and sniffed, her own parents would have gone insane if they knew that the Hitachiin designers had told their sons to talk to her directly. The boys ignored her quizzical look and tilted their heads in unison,

"They're holding a party at ours soon, your parents are invited too but they really wanted to meet you informally for once."

Akemi opened her mouth to object; however Hikaru cut her off with a sly,

"Of course… The host club will be there too, you could invite the rest of Emirii's cronies if you want." She blinked up at him and gave a light laugh,

"Neither the hostess club or my parents would want to be in _your_ presence for that long so don't worry about it. Come to think of it, neither would I. See you later,"

And with that she brushed past them with her head held high and her hair bouncing behind her as she did with a little smug smile on her face.

She went back to where the others were, back to music room six. When she opened the doors all the hostesses were there, smiling again. Hinata smiled at her as she entered and gave her a thumbs up as if to show that everything was okay. Akemi grinned back and shut the doors behind her,

"You'll never guess what, you know the host club doppelgangers? They just cornered me and told us all to come to some fancy party that they're throwing. Naturally, I told them to shove it up their…. Yeah, anyway. They looked like they were going to cry they were so upset."

She started to giggle. Okay, maybe she had over exaggerated it, maybe the twins didn't really seem to care but it got a laugh from everyone. Everyone but Rose and Miyuki who gave each other looks and a sly smile, Asa had caught on this and looked at the two,

"What's so funny?" she said, pouting slightly and tilting her head to the side.

"It sounded fun…" Rose said with a small playful smile before looking around the room at the blank faces.

"A-and of course, it'd be an opportunity to try and throw them off course… Y'know by…Charming them!"

It was a terrible comeback. Everyone knew this. Even the shy Anika was staring at Rose like she was an idiot, however, Emirii got to her feet and started to pace.

"You know that's not a bad idea…"

"Dammit, Rose!" Hinata said, covering her head with her palm and shaking her head. Emirii smiled before grabbing Anika suddenly, making the younger girl jump with fright.

"Go back to music room three, you might catch them before they leave. Tell the twins that we'll be there. Oh, and ask if there is any dress code!"

Anika's eyes were still wide so Hinata sighed and got off her seat, murmuring to Miyuki, "Try to calm her down," she smiled and walked over to the auburn haired adolescent, "Back up now, Emirii. I'll go with Anika…Let go of her arm you'll cut off her blood circulation if you squeeze much tighter."


	5. Oh how stereotypical

Rivalry

Chapter Five ~ Oh How Stereotypical

"Look boys, I did you a favor. I'm only asking one thing in return, okay?"

Tamaki looked at the redhead in front of them and sighed before turning around and smiling at the rest of the group. Haruhi and Mori looked placid as usual, Honey had his brow furrowed as if he was thinking hard, Kyouya had his lips stretched in a small amused smile and the twins both had eyebrows raised and lips pursed. With a small chuckle he ran a hand through his golden hair and fluffed it slightly,

"Kasanoda, it's not really our place to say anything… Hikaru and Kaoru's parents invited us, we didn't ask them."

"Then just say I'm part of your club," he said shaking his head, "Just for one night."

"Why do you want to come?" Tamaki turned to see the fiery Haruhi step out of the line, her head tilted slightly with a small smile on her lips. She didn't have the same refined elegance as many of the girls whom attended Ouran did, however, simple motions seemed fluid to her and Tamaki couldn't help but feel awestruck whilst watching her. Kasanoda blinked at her too and a lump rose in his throat,

"I-I kind of made a fool of myself back at the other club and…"

"A fool of himself in front of Anika Takahashi," the two twins said in unison with sly grins on their faces. Kasanoda blinked at them, his face drained of colour as they began to snigger,

"Kasanoda loves Takahashi, Kasanoda loves Takahashi, Kasanoda loves Takahashi!" they began to chime, prancing around in their childish was as they always did. Kasanoda shook his head so ferociously his ponytail almost came loose,

"Sh-shut up! It's not like that," Haruhi sighed before shrugging her shoulders at the blonde leader. The simple conversation had turned to turmoil within two minutes, it was just how things went but it didn't make it less irritating when it did happen. Tamaki looked at Kyouya whom smiled and played with his glasses,

"I'll see what we can do, Kasanoda. Now, if you wouldn't mind leaving… Our guests will be arriving soon."

The redhead turned and nodded at him, "Thanks Ootori."

_Meanwhile _

Asa tilted her head to the side as Akemi stood in front of the girls with a triumphant look on her face, she flicked her hair and looked at Emirii whom stood on the left of her and at Rose who stood on the right. For some reason, Asa imagined them with a thunder and lightening storm in the background with their demonic giggles echoing throughout the area. She began to chuckle to herself and had to bite the inside of her cheeks to stop from out right guffawing at the sight.

"Since you all decided it would be a good idea to go to the Hitachiin's stupid get together… thing. I've taken it upon myself to style you. Here are my helpful sidekicks."

The other four girls all looked at them with eyebrows raised and quizzical expressions on their faces. Emirii smiled at them all, her smile showing all of her teeth in a way that was almost frightening.

"I'm doing everyone's hair on the night so you're all expected at Akemi's house at half six sharp so that we have time to meet her parents and get ready, anyone who is late will face the consequences."

Hinata sniggered, only to be met by a death glare from her friend, "Rose will be doing make up, bring your own foundation and powder."

Miyuki nudged Hinata and whispered, "Why have they all got the same demonic expression on their faces."

Before Hinata could reply, Rose guffawed and tutted slightly at the girls, "Because my dearies…"

"This is war," the three girls said in unison, each of their usually pure and innocent faces distorted with determination. Asa and Anika grabbed on to each other for support against their glares even Hinata started to feel her cheeks heat up with a mix of embarrassment and fear, however, Miyuki just stood there smiling back at them.

Later on, Hinata stood outside her friend's house, her expression cool and normal as she checked her phone, she was early, she knew to be so that she could avoid being scolded at all costs. If anyone looked at her they would have assumed that she was just a normal girl meeting with some sort of upper-class friend.

She was actually terrified. The last 'party' she had attended was back in London for their leaving event and that was really just around family. However, now she was expected to be like the other girls. Hina was aware she didn't possess the same refined grace as the others, that she seemed a bit odd to upper class types but now she had to fight harder than she had to before to seem like them.

She sighed as the clock on her phone signaled that it was twenty five past six and rang the bell, Akemi answered accompanied by Anika and Emirii. She grinned; Anika must have had the same idea as she had. Akemi looked Hina up and down and tutted before opening the door fully to let her in,

"I'd dread to think what we'd be wearing if you were in charge of the clothes we wear in the club," Emirii gave a giggle and patted Hina's head.

"At least she's early, good girl. It's only Miyuki, Asa and Rose to come, yes?"

The three eventually walked in, each of them coming within the five minutes to avoid Emirii's rage. Miyuki ran a hand through her hair as Akemi clicked her fingers to draw everyone's attention; everyone's eyes fell on the blonde as she beamed at them all. They all stood in her room and watched her as she sashayed over to a smaller wardrobe that had seemingly been placed just to hold the clothes she was about to dress the others in as though they were little dolls.

"Now, here are you dresses, they're all from my parents latest range just to show off to those damn Hitachiin designers. Wear them with pride, we need to _display_ them, okay? If I catch any of you slouching in any of these, I'll smack you upside the head, understood?"

They all nodded hesitantly and she flashed them a big grin before opening the doors with a flourish. "I've chosen them with personality in mind, tell me if anything doesn't fit you then I can adjust them. You'll get dressed after Rose has done make up because if anything gets on these my folks will kill me."

Rose took her time, defining every eyelash, making their cheekbones stand out gracefully and highlighting their best assets. She already had a perfect face on so that she was all ready to get to work on the members, her skilled fingers worked away at their faces, making each of them glow with abundant charm. Anika peered into the mirror timidly and gave a shy thumbs up when she saw what was in it. All girls were more than pleased with the finishing product but the Scottish redhead had to stop herself from shifting uncomfortably. She didn't look like herself, she looked like some sort of confident older girl and it frightened her. However, she wouldn't let Rose know that in fear that she would offend her.

Each girl got dressed in her chosen outfit with care. It was obvious that Akemi took her time deciding which ones to use as each of them seemed as though the dress was tailored and made for them. The way the pink complimented Asa's innocence and purity, the way the scarlet corseted dress graced Miyuki's dark features and made her look sensual, the dark green mixing with the auburn of Anika's hair, a purple to match Rose's eyes, a skirt that was cut below the knee to show off Emirii's long body and a sweet corseted white dress to soften Hinata.

And then she stood there like a vision in her own dress, it became apparent that Akemi was trying to impress someone. Who it was however, seemed to be a mystery. Miyuki made a mental note and thought maybe she had a problem with her parents and that it may be them she was trying to impress.

But after Emirii had messed with everyone's hair it became clear to Miyuki she had obviously not had the right idea as her parents awaited for them at the bottom of the stairs with smiles plastered on their faces. Her father was a tall man with beautiful blonde hair that fell to his shoulders, he looked too young, too glamorous to be a father. He ran over to his daughter and pulled her into his arms, twirling her around and laughing when she gave a little squeal.

Her Mother started to tut and approached the two with a fond little smile on her face. She had the same big blue-grey as Akemi did and looked like a typical villain from a spy film, beautiful but deadly. However, when she looked at her daughter and her husband her eyes lit up and her face became soft.

"Be careful with that dress! Oh, come on we should introduce ourselves," she said giggling. The man let Akemi down gently before turning to the girls and whistling under his breath,

"Our sweetheart didn't tell me that she had such pretty friends," he said with a grin. Emirii felt her cheeks get hot, only to be laughed at by Hinata. Miyuki sighed and looked at Akemi, her cheeks were flushed slightly but she guessed that it was from the impact she had just had with her father. She reminded herself to keep a close eye on her, to make sure she was okay throughout the night.

They were all escorted by the family car as they pulled up to the gates a few of the girls gave out little breaths of anticipation. Hinata's body fell rigid before she felt a reassuring pat on the shoulder, she turned to see Emirii giving her a kind little smile. Hina gave a small sigh as she stepped outside along with the other girls.

Their feet had barely touched the ground before the Hitachiin staff was asking if they needed assistance, Akemi smiled and shook her head graciously before nodding at the girls and motioning for them to follow her.

As they stepped into the house, many up market designers welcomed them and what Akemi would call 'big shots.' Hikaru and Kaoru didn't take long to show up and annoy them, their devilish features lit up as they saw the girls as they walked in, naturally, they went for the meek.

"Ladies. Wow, Takahashi, is it? You look very nice," Kaoru said edging closer to her so that her auburn locks brushed at his face, her cheeks flushed and she started to stammer.

"And Ms. Moore, you scrub up well. No one here will be able to guess you're really a misfit from London," Hikaru murmured grabbing at the dimple in Hinata's chin, she attempted to glare and scowl to show a thorough dislike. The others grew tense, she knew that they were worrying about her losing her cool and saying something that would get them all kicked out. However, she let out a small chuckle and shrugged,

"I'll humor you, Hikaru. Should I talk in my worst cockney accent this evening?"

There was a feeling of relief that washed over the atmosphere and Emirii started to chuckle as she walked to Hinata's side before linking arms and leaning on her slightly,

"You don't look half bad either you two, though it's odd to see you outside of cosplay."

The small talk had started. Miyuki sighed, it was going to be a long night.


	6. Like a scene from a really bad musical

Rivalry

Chapter Six ~ Like a Scene from a Really Bad Musical

Mitskuni looked over and smiled at one of the smallest of the hostesses. He was unsure of her name, but she seemed cute and easy to talk to so he felt at ease just looking at her for a moment. That was until his tall companions hand came crashing down on his head and ruffled his hair patronizingly, the smaller boy looked up at Mori and laughed slightly,

"What's wrong Takahashi?" The dark haired male said nothing but nodded at the girl his cousin was contently looking at. Honey chuckled uneasily and rubbed the back of his head, something Mori knew he did when he was nervous. The girl stood blissfully unaware, talking to the Emirii girl happily and smiling in a carefree manner that belonged to a naïve child. It almost mirrored Honey's famous actions; he knew this and couldn't help feel either threatened by her or attracted to her, in a friendly way or something else.

"The hostess girls sure look cute tonight, right?" Honey said, smiling up at Mori with childlike abundance. The other male simply grunted so he took it as a yes.

The awkward silences in the two's conversations never really bothered Mitskuni before, however, now he found himself trying to find words to say, as if he wanted to strike up small talk with the person who knew him the best. He shook himself mentally and started to chuckle, taking his companions hand and dragging him away, thinking that if they got away from the girl that they'd be able to talk like normal.

"C'mon, lets get a drink," this was, obviously, answered by and incoherent grunt.

o.o.o.o.o.

After the banter with the twins, Hinata walked around as if she was Bambi on a minefield only pausing when spoken too and even then all she did was nod in a sincere fashion and give a small polite smile. Even in the stupid heels Akemi had put her in, she only stood below five foot and she hadn't felt so small in her whole life. Her face flushed red as she noticed the two leaders of the host club stood across the room were pointedly staring at her, uncomfortably and self-consciously she took a seat and began to fiddle with her fingers. She was aware of the fact that she didn't look very lady like at the moment but something told her not to care and to resist any temptation that made her want to look back at the two pairs of prying eyes.

In only a few short breaths, the extensively flamboyant and jovial Tamaki Suoh stood before her, his blue eyes poised in a crescent moon shape as he beamed at her in the most posed yet perfect smile she had seen grace a persons face before. He had one hand on the back of her chair and the other open as an invitation.

"You haven't danced yet, Ms. Moore, would you like to accompany me for the next song?"

Hina took a cautious look at the hand and then at the boy, she let out a high pitched and feminine chortle before smiling back at him politely.

"Dancing is not really my… forte, so to speak. Thank you for the invite, though."

He blinked for a while, obviously unable to comprehend the fact a female had rejected an offer he made and it wasn't even Haruhi which he had become accustomed to. However, when he regained his composure, he smiled once more and pulled up a seat next to her, making Hinata cringe thinking about the small talk she'd have to make. She opened her mouth to start but was cut off by the male's voice,

"May I be blunt?"

Hina sighed, the thought of one night without bickering with the host club over this damn rivalry that had sparked up between them was obviously too good to be true, she tilted her head and tried to refrain from furrowing her brow too much,

"Go on…"

"It's just that…" his voice trailed off for a while, his face appeared thoughtful as though he was considering deeply what he was about to say, "I'm worried that some of your girls may be interested in some of our boys and vice versa, if you get what I mean?"

The girl nodded, her face reflecting his contemplative expression. When she didn't respond, he took it as an opportunity to carry on,

"I don't want anyone to get hurt and create more hostility than there already is between us both."

It was obscure for her to be having business like talks with the infamous Tamaki Suoh. She felt as though they were both on the same level when it came to their positions in the opposite clubs. Tamaki was always proclaimed the leader of the host club, but it was obvious who was the brain behind it all. She knew that she and he could relate to the fact they were both really just along for the ride. He always seemed so carefree and it was odd to hear him speak in a semi-serious tone. So, she grinned at him and turned her view to the center of the room where the two clubs were 'mingling.'

"All I know is that tonight they're getting along, I'd rather not bring it up to the girls since they're all like…" she chuckled, "Well, like girls. What happens, happens and I'm sure Emirii would be able to handle it if it turned for the worst, as would you and Kyouya."

Tamaki blinked at the girl, unsure how she could be so at ease with the situation. He smiled, happy that he went to her instead of Emirii due to the fact Kyouya warned him that the blonde girl was a complete and utter control freak and quick to snap. Hina, however, seemed easier to talk to when it came to such situations, even though she didn't really help him at all.

o.o.o.o.o.

Kasanoda had got in. He didn't think that Kyouya would actually get him in but there he was, just across the floor from her. Shifting around uncomfortably, he loosened the tie on the 'monkey suit' he had swapped from his usual scruffy 'street clothes.' He played around with a strand of his hair as he went over what he was going to say in his head, but everything just sounded wrong to him.

'_So, Anika… You're Scottish, I hear they get drunk a lot…'_

'_You look very pretty…Not that you don't always looks pretty! I mean…'_

'_You, me, dance floor, the funky chicken…What do you think?'_

It was all stupid, hopeless drabble. His thoughts either seemed racist and offensive or out of date and cocky. Who even _said_ 'the funky chicken' any more, let alone danced it? He sighed with aggravation, despite how much he tried not to he let his feelings show on the surface. He was useless, he couldn't even talk to Haruhi when he liked her and she was dressed as a boy half the time. However, whilst he was beating himself up so much, he didn't notice that the auburn haired girl was stood right next to him and trying hopelessly to get his attention.

"K-Kasanoda? Y-you seemed lonely," she said, trying with no avail not to stammer. It had taken a lot for her to approach him on her own but it was painful just to watch him curse to himself, he blinked and looked down, his face instantly heating up as he did so. He opened his mouth to say something but his words just came out in stuttered breaths, she stood there for a while hoping that he'd say something but when no sentences escaped his lips she smiled slightly and blushed,

"It's okay, I-I'll go now…"

"No!" he hadn't meant to shout, but he just wanted her to stay put. He didn't want to scare her away as he did with so many others, she stopped and blinked up at him, her teal eyes wide and her expression puzzled, however she gave a shaky smile and nodded before just staying up and waiting for him to speak.

"Pretty…Scottish….Funky chicken."

Kasanoda gulped. '_Yep, I've blown it.'_

o.o.o.o.o.

Akemi was finally on her own. Her night had consisted of talking politely to strangers and having arguments disguised as 'regular adolescent banter' with the twins. She smiled fondly at the two as they flirted with a group of poor innocent girls, Hikaru caught her eye and winked mischievously before continuing to go along with his and his brother's game. She grinned impishly back before just staring at nothing particular and let her mind wander for the first time that evening.

"Who is it?"

Her head snapped up as her gaze met Miyuki's defeated one. She smiled slightly,

"Excuse me?"

"Who are you trying to impress? I mean you've acted different tonight and I was just wondering who it was that got you all worked up like this," as she spoke she got increasingly timid, she wondered if she should have really bothered Akemi with the question, she had no right to. However, Akemi sighed and smiled again, her expression a picture of relief,

"I knew you'd pick up on it… You're so smart, Miyuki…" Akemi looked down and started to fiddle with her fingers helplessly, Miyuki hadn't seen the girl seem so vulnerable before.

"It's just I have my eye on someone…" That caught her attention. The taller female looked down at the blonde with concern etched into every feature of her face. Akemi looked at the twins for a fraction of a second before licking her lips nervously,

"Tamaki Suoh."  
>It was an instant answer, there was no trace of hesitation nor consideration hidden within the two words. Miyuki's eyebrows shot up her forehead and her mouth fell open, Akemi just continued to play with her fingers,<p>

"T-Tamaki Suoh?"

"….Yes."

o.o.o.o.o.

"A word, Emirii?"

The blonde was in a conversation with two middle aged men that had mistaken her for her Mother, it happened often so she wasn't offended but she was happy for the excuse to leave them because they were not the kind of company she was used to keeping, especially since they made vulgar jokes and comments about both her and her Mother.

"If you'll excuse me gentlemen," she said nodding politely as she followed the dark haired male that had interrupted her. He grabbed her wrist, the action was not harsh but fluid and natural, if it was anyone else she would have complained but she was used to it.

He took her to the back garden. The Hitachiin's had even gone through the trouble of asking someone to decorate outside. Perfectly trimmed bushes bore white roses and fairy lights were twined around them delicately, it was like a picture from a teenage romantic comedy or a really bad musical but it still looked elegant and full of class. She pulled her wrist back and returned it to her side and looked up at him.

"Okay, what is it Ootori?"

His usual 'business man' expression was replaced by a soft smile, Emirii was unsure if she liked it or not. Her green eyes narrowed slightly and she twirled a piece of her hair, around her finger continuously, making a mental note to tread cautiously whilst talking to her companion. Kyouya did his signature glasses adjustment pose and cupped her cheek as if on a whim, she pulled back slightly but his hand held on tight.

"There's been talk about us both getting together, Emirii…"

"Well I can give you my word that I haven't said anything about it," she said trying to turn away but to no avail.

"I wasn't accusing you of anything, Emirii. I was just thinking that maybe it could…"

His expression had changed, the smile he had on his face twitched and only confirmed Emirii's suspicion. She had to bite her lip from either laughing in his face or letting out tears. It was insulting, really, that he thought he could trick her into something like that. She pulled back and smiled wanly at him and shook her head,

"You know… I'm not as stupid as you think, Ootori. This is some sort of business stunt, right?" when he didn't respond, she took it as an automatic yes, "It's been such a nice night, let's not spoil it."

And with that she took his wrist just as he had done only a few minutes previous and started to walk inside,

"They'll be wondering where we got to."

o.o.o.o.o.

**((A/N: This is so late I'm really sorry, everyone! Life has decided to start getting hectic and keeping me away from writing! Stupid… life ^^'' I tried to make this chapter longer though so hopefully it makes up for it, right? The next update will be better, I swear!)) **


	7. Without the hangover

Rivalry

Chapter Seven ~ The Typical Aftermath of a Party…Without the Hangover

**((A/N: These chapter updates are starting to get further and further apart :c Please don't think I've abandoned the story! I still have many things planned out for the plot and such, I hope that you guys will stick through it~! School has been… blargh. That's about the only way to describe it ^^' But I'm still here! I promise!))**

She had messed up. She sighed as everyone set up for the session ahead of them, she grimaced as she felt Miyuki's eyes analyzing every move she made and determining whether or not the blonde was trying to deceive her not.

It was all lies. She felt nothing but pity for the leader of the host club that she deemed 'obviously mentally unstable', he was always the center of attention. It was quite insulting to think Miyuki actually _believed _her when she said that she had feelings for the melancholy 'prince.'

If she were to strip away all pretenses and expectations, it would be easier for her to admit to other people, and more important to herself whom she really had romantic… _feelings_ towards.

But she couldn't make it that easy. Of course, her stupid pride had to get in her way and stop her from doing what she desired. She tried not to giggle to herself as she thought about Tamaki's reaction if word got out that she 'liked him.' No doubt, the image was amusing and humorous, however, she felt that damn pity leak through and made the musing…sad.

She felt a small pressure on her shoulder and made her head snap up to look at the intruder of her thoughts in the face, she smiled in an attempt to act casual. Her gaze met the forest green eyes of their leader, she raised her eyebrows in what she hoped would seem an inquisitive manner but frowned as the elder blonde sighed,

"I personally don't feel the Suoh boy is worth it, but if you really like him.. We're all behind you."

The girl that stood before Akemi was so… incomprehensive. Everyone was. It almost made her laugh. Nevertheless, she looked over at Miyuki and tried to give the impression of being defensive. As she said this, the whole room turned to look at Akemi and blink questioningly. Even small Anika peered behind her auburn waves and felt her eyebrows shoot up her forehead slightly, Akemi felt her face flare up in embarrassment as she tried to shield herself from prying stares from her companions.

"T-Tamaki?"

"TAMA-CHAN?"

"The blond retard?"

"Good luck with that."

Comments and giggles reverberated off the walls of the music room and teased at the humiliated blonde's ears, she sighed, deciding to just go along with the façade, it would be easier than just _explaining. _She looked up at them and smiled, her grin wavered slightly as she said,

"Er…The heart wants what the heart wants?"

"OH MY GOD!"

"Please let it be lies…."

"Erm…"

Once again, she was bombarded by comments and jests about the pretense she had made for herself. She quivered under the spotlight but giggled and answered what ever questions her friends had for her.

Other than that small disturbance, the rest of the session went as normal as usual. Asa let out a breezy sigh as she collapsed on the sofa oh-so-overdramatically and put her arms behind her head. They had just remained in their usual school uniform so there was no fuss about running around trying to get changed ready for afternoon classes. Letting a small smile grace her face, she rubbed her eyes slightly,

"I'm so tired. This work has wiped me out."

The others took no notice, each of them too preoccupied with whatever jobs they had been assigned. Asa frowned gently when she realized no one was listening and just focused on nothing in particular, her mind, too, occupied. Her eyes trailed around lazily, brushing past every aspect of the room until they fond something remotely worthy of note.

"Hey, don't loiter in the hall," she said softly, batting her sweet eyes at the idle observer. There was a small squeak that emanated from its direction and the other hostesses whipped their heads around to peer. Rose raised her eyebrows slightly and took a few steps towards the door,

"Just come in, we don't bite."

The hesitant aura could be sensed by even the slowest people. However, slowly but surely a figure pushed the door open and walked in.

Despite everyone's presumptions, it wasn't just a late customer or a straggler from the ones that had previously left. Before them stood a curvy small girl, her dark brown hair was pulled up into two high pigtails as loose pieces of hair framed a sweet face and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses were perched on top of her head.

"Oh…Hello," Emirii said blinking and tilting her head to the side, " Are you here to erm…Have tea?"

"Gee, Emirii, ever think she might like girls?" Miyuki said, her cheeks getting hot slightly. Hinata started to laugh slightly and draped her arms around the blushing taller girl,

"Hush now, Miyuki let's not make this a sexuality issue…"

"I don't like girls."

The response was blunt, to the point and it made them all shut up. That was probably the girls' intention and no one present could really blame her. She inhaled and bowed her head a little too vigorously so much so that her glasses slid from her forehead and she had to catch them before she looked back up dramatically and said,

"I love Tamaki Suoh."

Everyone paused, the girl was… abrupt to say the least. She certainly cause a reaction. Asa had fallen off her chair, Rose started to giggle uncontrollably, Anika's face turned a shade of beetroot, Miyuki looked as though she had gone along into shock with Emirii close at her heels with joining her, Akemi's chest tightened and Hinata was on the side simply cupping her face, shaking her head and going, "For fuck sake."

"His beautiful hair, the blue of his eyes, his pale skin…I want it all!"

"O-Okay," Hinata stammered, the sheer absurdity of the girls extravagance was laughable. She smiled softly and opened her mouth to speak,

"So advice… Erm… Yes. Well, Emirii?"

The position they found themselves in was like a reminiscence of an old romcom. No one was looking at the flamboyant girl any more, they were all focused on Akemi who was stood there with a pained expression. However, it was not from heartache like they all expected it would be as all Akemi could think was,

"_What the hell have I got myself into?"_

**((Another A/N: I used one of the other OC applications like I promised! I thought I better point that out other than confusing everyone...))**


	8. Hardships

Rivalry

Chapter Eight ~ Hardships

Kyouya Ootori was not one to beat around the bush. He knew this, everyone else knew this and it seemed to have become somewhat of a trademark of his. Which was why when he demanded all the hosts sit down before their session, the tension in the air was so thick you'd have to put a chainsaw to it to cut through. He had not even deliberated with Tamaki so the blond male seemed intrigued along with the other members of the host club; he smiled in his usual manner and sat alongside them all.

"So…What have we learnt about the girls? As a result of the party last weekend."

There was an immediate response; every of them eager to either listen or to talk it through, it seemed as though Haruhi and Mori were the only ones keeping face. Kyouya smiled wryly and put his hands in the air,

"Well I have nothing so if any of you'd like to proceed…" He was quick to try and forget his escapades with the blonde leader of the rivaling club, however, he relished in the thought of having information he could use to his advantage. There voices began to overlap and get louder and louder until they were shushed by an aggravated yell from the female member's lips.

"How is this going to solve anything? Seriously, shut the hell up!" when it was silent, she sighed and spoke again, "I overheard Kasanoda calling the little ginger one Scottish and apparently the other little one Honey-senpai kept staring at…"

"Asa!"

"Yeah her, she's a quarter Russian and I think the Rose girl is British too. So they have a lot of variety when it comes to ethnicity…"

Kyouya nodded slowly and contemplating it, variety was good, well…for them anyway. He shook his head, it was known that many of the students were fascinated by other cultures and it could probably cause some problems if girls felt the need to get closer to them in order to study said backgrounds.

"Akemi's half American too," the twins said in unison as if it were nothing to be taken accounted for. Their leader on the other hand started to flail his arms helplessly and cried out in his extravagant drawl of a voice,

"So many accents! Daddy, what will we do?"

Rolling his eyes, 'Mommy' didn't even justify the question with an answer and changed the subject by clamping a hand over his companion's mouth and raising an eyebrow as if to say 'Shut the hell up unless you have anything intelligent to say.' He sighed and rubbed his temples before saying,

"Tamaki, you talked Miss Moore, yes? Anything from that?"

The other man tilted his head and clicked his tongue against his teeth as he considered it, he shook his head and said, "No… She just said the hostesses are like typical 'girls' and that she didn't want to confuse them or something. She's a very pleasant girl, isn't she? Not very helpful though…"

"She's quieter than Emirii." The monotone could only belong to one of the members, Tamaki turned to see Mori just staring blankly as though he hadn't said anything at all, if it wasn't the distinctive tone to his voice they may have thought they were hearing things. Kyouya laughed hoarsely before saying shamelessly,

"Most people are."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

The girls had calmed down, well, enough to sit down and actually talk about the situation. The annoyingly dramatic girl still loitered, she…filled a room to say the least. Emirii had her head balanced on her hand, unsure what she could do to remain perfectly unbiased to her fellow hostess and overall friend. She wasn't good in such situations, she was always a firm believer of 'do what you need to do to get where you want to,' however, whenever she acted like that she always seemed to get scalded by whoever was near.

"Look," she said finally, "You're a good looking girl and… Certainly not mistakable," the hostesses bit back sniggers, "Why do you need our help?"

"You're all so good at…enticing men. I need to learn how!" Hinata tilted her head slightly before giggling gently and raising a brow,

"We're not running a brothel, honey. We don't 'entice.'"

"Nevertheless," she had ignored the rather sarcastic comment from the English girl and kept her view on Emirii, "I want him."

Emirii looked around the room, some of the girls looked dejected, others looked simply angry. The only neutral face was the one of Akemi who just nodded firmly at Emirii, this way she hoped to be rid of the lie she had built up and maybe the cause of a new couple. The leader sighed once more and smiled slightly at the girl before them with conviction,

"Okay… We'll help."  
>The girl opposite rushed over to the leader of the host club and pulled her into an unwelcomed hug, the reactions of the other girls were priceless, Anika blushed deeply and began to stammer, Miyuki rolled her eyes and looked away, Akemi bit her lip, Asa began to clap, Rose sniggered and Hinata had fallen off her chair from the overwhelming laughter emanating from the pit of her stomach.<p>

"Thank you! Thank you! I'm Kotomi Oto and forever in your debt!"

Oh Jesus.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Kotomi was now like an….adopted pet, one could say. She sat in at sessions and sometimes even wrote down notes in a small notepad she kept at the waist of her uniform, no longer was she an irritant but like a little sister, quite cute but not to be taken entirely seriously. As the girls began to set up, the pig-tailed girl took her usual spot on the sofa and got out her notepad ready to work. Rose sauntered over to her and sat on her lap to get her attention. Kotomi gave a small squeal before saying,

"What the hell was that?"

The hostess giggled cheekily and brushed a piece of hair that the other girl had decided to curl out of her face, "Emirii asked me to tell you to get changed. Putting all those notes you've taken into place."

Kotomi blinked her eyes rapidly and was finally at loss of words, her extravagance careened with Rose's sauciness. The more experienced girl tutted slightly and pulled the notebook from Kotomi's waistband and started to flick through, rather than complaining the smaller girl grinned smugly.

Most of the pages had been taken up with schoolgirl scribbles such as 'Mrs. Kotomi Suoh' surrounded by small hearts and flowers and other….simple things. However, there were also multiple pages of in detail accounts of the few days she had spent observing the other girls in work.

_Miss Anika blushed and looked away when a boy complimented her hair before looking back and stammering 'I-I-I asked Akemi to straighten it for me. I'm glad you like it.'_

_Miyuki responds to all questions bluntly and when the boys look unsure smile and apologize claiming that she 'still needed help to adjust to all the company,' and make the boys smile, males really are simple creatures._

_Asa giggles like a little girl every time she gets complimented and gushes at everything, maybe I should try it?_

_Miss Rose and Miss Hinata seem to have a 'English tag team', they have a little group of boys who compliment their accents frequently. Rose always seems to smile and cosy up to them and Hinata always responds sarcastically._

_Emirii is the most visited hostess. She seems to strike a balance between 'sophisticated and refined' and 'sweet and vulnerable.' She's like a female Tamaki, though of course not as pretty._

It was quite flattering at the least. Rose gave a smile and stood up holding out her hand for the smaller girl, her hair flicked slightly as she turned to totally face Kotomi and her cheeks were flushed.

"Come on then, time to get changed. Emirii's got you a costume, if it's too small or something I'm sure Akemi can adjust it, she's very handy that girl…"

Kotomi got up instantly and walked with the Brit, her face lighting up slightly. Rose noticed this, she giggled and said,

"You're in luck. We're wearing cheongsams… Y'know the Chinese dresses? They're so pretty, Emirii got them from actual _China."_

It was girlish babble, they were aware of it, however, it comforted Kotomi greatly.


	9. Well damn

Rivalry

Chapter Nine ~ Well damn

Shuffling uncomfortably, Miyuki pulled the hem of her gown and sighed, it was hard to keep up with the different clothes Emirii and, now Akemi, had pleasure dressing everyone up in and the fact the dress they'd stuck them in clung to every part of the body without fail made it hard not to be self conscious. She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth irritably and began playing with the fan she was given absent mindedly as she looked over at the blonde girls in question.

Akemi had been so strong, it was admirable to think that the blonde willingly stepped aside and allowed the hostesses help the other girl gain the confidence to approach the object of her desire. It was… _too _good of her. Miyuki's suspicions couldn't help but be flared when the other girl had nodded graciously and agreed to help without any hesitation. As if she truly _wanted_ to help Kotomi get the boy she herself was after.

She grimaced slightly as she felt pressure on her forearm where a small hand had enclosed around it and was shaking her slightly. She looked down to see Asa beaming up at her, her hair tied into a tight topknot and a small pink flush across her cheeks, she had been fighting hard to keep up her 'cute' exterior since the new pet had joined them earlier in the week, though she wouldn't admit it she couldn't wait to be free of her and back to her rightful place as the little sister of the group, she kept her bitter thoughts to herself however and made sure she was kind to Kotomi. Miyuki tilted her head slightly as the girl started to giggle,

"I like these dresses, they're pretty," she thought aloud, twirling a small part of her hair that had fallen free from her bun. Alongside her popped up an uncomfortable looking Hinata who was fiddling with the collar of the dress she had been shoved in,

"Pretty _tight. _I think it's cut off all my circulation," she said, rolling her shoulders and trying to make her movements more fluid but to no avail. Asa giggled and rolled her eyes at the elder girl, claiming that she was 'so silly.' Anika giggled along with her, the timid girl handed chopsticks over to the English one and said,

"Emirii told me to ask you to put these in my hair."

"That damn woman expects me to everything."

The 'getting ready' ritual for the club was pretty consistent. It just contained Emirii ordering people around, the girls attempting to adjust in whatever she had shoved them in and set up whatever props the session ahead needed. However, now that they were dressing another girl it seemed to drag on more than usual. Hinata sighed as her fingers danced rhythmically in auburn waves as she shot an anxious look over to the dressing room Rose had disappeared accompanied with Kotomi, maybe the other English girl wasn't the right choice for the younger girl's 'mentor.' Sure, Rose was a brilliant host and was one of the best there, only really second to Emirii, however, she could be intimidating and the last thing Hinata wanted to do was to scare away the small girl. She shivered slightly as she secured the chopsticks into the girl's waves and the dressing curtain pulled back with a flourish. Kotomi stepped out, her hair tied into a high ponytail and two strands falling down along her face, Rose clapped and squealed as she appeared beside her.

"Doesn't she look sweet?"

Emirii turned around briskly and beamed, the smile that played on her lips hit her eyes and made them light up, the blonde nodded approvingly before approaching Kotomi with a content saunter. She patted the smaller girls head and pinched her cheeks before uttering a simple,

"Yes, very."

Which of course was a huge compliment from the 'big boss' so the other girls smiled and nodded along with her. Hinata rolled her eyes and arched a brow, crossing her arms around her chest she shook her head and gave a small sarcastic smile,

"Yes. Beautiful and all that jazz. However, we're five minutes behind and the guests are already lined up outside."

Emirii clapped her hand across her mouth and grabbed Anika, her face contorted with what seemed to be urgency, "Quick! Open the doors!"

Anika nodded shakily and waltzed over, opening the doors with a timid pull and nodded as the guests made their way in an orderly fashion as they always did. Kotomi grinned, confidence radiating off her small frame as she pulled her shoulders back and tilted her chin slightly. Emirii took her usual place in front of all of them as each girl morphed into their stereotype, taking a clear stance, as if they were actors melting into a character they were about to play. A few boys wolf whistled as Emirii paraded onto center stage and she repaid them by giving a girlish giggle and bowing her head.

"Okay, okay. Now, I'd like to introduce Kotomi, some of you might have noticed that she's been observing over the past few days and we're letting her put her studies into practice, so if anyone is interested in sitting with Kotomi, please do. This is all experience so that she can erm…build up her confidence."

Kotomi didn't need to build up her confidence, but it seemed like a valid cover up. A few boys, probably in the girl's class, blinked confusedly, obviously having witnessed the girl's behavior first hand for themselves. Nevertheless, Emirii flashed a grin and everything seemed to be forgotten as the boys nodded enthusiastically and started chattering as if nothing out of the ordinary happened. So as per usual, Emirii turned on her heel and went to skip over to her usual 'working station' before getting cut off by a melodramatic, _'ahem.'_

She turned around again and immediately groaned irritably. There stood the familiar faces of the host club, each of them looking aggravatingly perfect. Emirii clicked her tongue against her teeth and raised her eyebrows, looking directly at Kyouya,

"Can I help you?" she had a false smile plastered over her face but her hard gaze made it apparent that she wanted them to leave. The boy simply adjusted his glasses as a devious smile stretched across his face in a motion that was so effortlessly…intimidating to say the least. Tamaki Suoh brushed past him and ran a hand through his hair, Rose felt Kotomi's body go rigid by her side and her breath hitch, she had to fight to not roll her eyes and thump her across the head. His blond hair fell beautifully across his forehead as he smiled gently,

"Hello ladies… We thought our visit here was very much belated, so we dropped by…I hope that's okay with you?"

Emirii clenched her jaw, it obviously wasn't okay, but she kept face and nodded. Hinata was by her side in a flash and put an arm around her, making sure her companion didn't faint or rampage. She flicked her hair and gave a small smile as if to say 'humor me', before breezily retorting with a,

"You'll have to wait in line like everyone else…But sure," Tamaki bowed his head at her, feigning grace as he did so. With a small and dominant nod of her head, Hinata smiled at the rest of the boys filling up the area.

"Okay…So let's start."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

As previously arranged, Kotomi was sat by Rose and taking everything in stride. She smiled when she talked and occasionally made small flirtatious motions, however, her eyes scanned the room looking over at the object of her attraction every now and then. He was sat waiting in line, bitterly, Kotomi realized he was sat alongside the small brunette host waiting to see Hinata of all people. She gave a small sigh before turning back to her own customers, they were just regulars from the year above, simple and boring. She wanted to laugh and flirt with Tamaki, she didn't want to have to fake an interest in the idiots in front of her. Whilst her eyes were wandering sloppily, she heard a loud bustle of crashing and childish laughter.

"Idiots!" she raised her eyebrows as most of the room turned to see Hikaru and Kaoru jeering as Akemi grimaced at smashed china on the floor, "That was an authentic Chinese tea set… Oh god, Emirii is going to murder me."

Her complaints we easily ignored, however, and the twins carried on laughing making no effort to clean up the remains of what used to be three cups that were, thankfully, empty. Kotomi giggled slightly before turning her view back to the two boys in front of her.

"So boys, what do you think of my little pet here?" Rose gave a grin and patted the smaller girl on her head, Kotomi made a show of smiling expectantly and arching her brows at the two elder boys in front of her. They smiled simply back and the bulkiest gave a small shrug in an attempt to seem flirtatious he tilted his head and clicked his tongue against his teeth,

"Hmm..Very pretty," he looked directly at her, "What year are you in, sweetheart?"

Kotomi thought for a moment, trying to come up with the best response possible that didn't seem so flirtatious it was needy or vulgar. So, she settled for a clear laugh and simply touched his forearm, the action was fleeting and light but she made sure that it made somewhat of an impact.

"I'm not telling you that… Can't have you chasing after me in between classes, can I?"

The boy was stunned for a moment, his eyes wide and his face getting hot. His best friend clapped him on the shoulder and said something Kotomi could only describe as 'hopelessly male' whilst Rose gave an amused breezy laugh,

"I've taught her well, haven't I?"

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Mori was not in the best of positions. He was sat with two first year girls whilst his younger cousin gushed at how 'cute' they looked and complimented the cake they had served. Anika and Asa, they were becoming to be almost like a duo of the hostess club and Kyouya had instructed them to keep a close eye on them, as if something so sweet could secretly be as devious as the Ootori boy himself. He knew that wasn't why Honey had offered to sit by them though, it was pretty obvious when he watched how animated his cousin became whilst sitting in front of the 'little sister' of the group. It was as if he was watching him slip away from how he usually acted and into a complete lovesick puppy like Tamaki was. It was a bit unnerving, however, as usual he kept face and didn't speak much. Anika had attempted to make conversation but was put off by his blunt grunts and one-word answers, he didn't mean to be rude it was just that he didn't feel he had anything really interesting to say, at least, that was relevant to the topics that she brought up. Small talk wasn't his strongest point anyway.

Honey and Asa were on a roll. Both of them almost out talking each other, like a pair of over excited toddlers. Anika giggled now and again and shyly gave an input, but Mori decided she was much like him, bad at small talk.

Maybe that would be his downfall, he didn't know. It seemed to have been paying off so far, almost becoming his 'trademark,' but he couldn't help but worry about it now and then. Now though, he shook his head rigidly at himself and continued on the only way he knew how.

Silently.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"'lo, Suoh and…Fuji..something."

"Fujioka," the brunette gave a small smile and sat down. Hinata grinned, happy that the host member didn't take it to heart, a lot of people here took offence if you forgot their names or surnames and Hinata being the scatterbrained hard head she was found herself in that predicament almost daily. Tamaki sat down too and leant on the table, trying out one of his signature 'oh look I'm a host' stare as he attempted to get a reaction. Haruhi sighed before saying, "Please excuse him."

"No, no worries," Hinata said casually leaning back on her chair, "So what brings you to my station?"

Tamaki beamed at her, the annoying smile that belonged to an idiotic child, she waved it off however and simply raised her eyebrows, prompting an answer. He picked up a cup and slowly took a sip, it was obvious he was aggravating the table's other two inhabitants but he seemed blissfully unaware to the unimpressed looks Hinata shot at him and the groans emanating from Haruhi's lips.

"Why would I not?"

"That wasn't a proper answer," Hinata rolled her eyes and played with a strand of her hair, "Why not Akemi… or Kotomi, maybe?" There. She had done her days worth of participating in the 'mission' Emirii had set them all.

"To tell the truth, I'm here to talk about business," now she was interested.

"Oh?"

"It's about the little girl you've decided you've taken a liking to… Kotomi, was it?" she nodded bluntly as the boy extravagantly drawled off words, making them seem more melodic than serious, "We were just wondering about your intentions behind it. Most people say she's a vibrant girl, I'm at loss of how she could possibly need help with confidence."

"Well Suoh, it _is_ a confidence thing. It's just that she's interested in someone and couldn't find a way to approach him is all," she looked pointedly at him, hoping that he'd get the point. However, stupid as he was, Tamaki just grinned stupidly,

"Ah a maiden in love…How sweet!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air and making a show of being swayed.

"A…what in love?"

She still wasn't used to his odd ways of speech.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Kotomi was changed and ready to continue with the day after being informed that now she could 'do anything' by an over enthusiastic Emirii. It was rather scary, to think that after one simple session she was being thrust into the scenario of confession, like she was a lone soldier on a desolate battlefield. At least, that's how she saw it anyway. She slipped on her school shoes and opened the door to see the blond in all his glory, her cheeks flushed as she pulled back, keeping the door slightly open so that she could still watch him. Most people may have called this 'stalking', she just saw it as being devoted. Her smile faded as she noticed that he seemed upset, or angry. Nevertheless, he was in distress and she didn't like it.

"What's the hold up, newbie?" Akemi called over, only to be shushed briskly as the smaller girl carried on observing.

"Please don't do this to Daddy," he called out, 'Daddy'? What was that about? Was he a teenage father? Kotomi watched, making sure that her gaze didn't waver though that her head was spinning around with stupid questions.

"It's obvious who she wanted, Tamaki, Kotomi… She likes you, didn't you see her staring?" The other girls had paused, obviously having heard what was being said. Cautiously, Emirii slowly walked over to Kotomi and put her arm around her before whispering, "Maybe we should er…Have another cup of tea, what do you think, Kotomi?"

She shrugged the leader off her shoulders and continued watching, her temple beating viciously against her forehead as anxiety took over. Now if she kept waiting, she'd be able to watch until the boy's feelings became apparent, then she could do the whole romantic montage that she had dreamed about since the start of the school year.

"What? Don't be silly, Haruhi, you're the only girl for me."

The girls froze, unsure what to be more concerned about, Kotomi and Akemi's wellbeing over hearing the boy they wanted didn't like either of them, that he called Haruhi a girl or that he was speaking in repulsively sickening clichés that made them all cringe. There was a silence from outside the door before footsteps and Haruhi yelling,

"Whatever. Just make sure you don't do anything insensitive."

The jeer was accompanied by quickening skips that obviously belonged to Tamaki as he cheerily exclaimed, "Never!"

When both sets of footsteps had disappeared, Emirii put her hand on Kotomi's shoulder once more, "Hey, are you okay?" the shoulders began to shake and a few choked tears escaped her partially open lips. Rose frowned and sashayed over to her little 'pet' but before she got to her, the girl had fled the room, yelling that no one was to 'under any circumstances' follow her. Anika cringed as the door slammed shut and bit her lip, looking over at Emirii and then to Hinata.

Miyuki put her arm around Akemi and squeezed her shoulder, "Are you okay, Akemi?"

"Sure. Why wouldn't I…Oh yeah!" Mentally slapping herself, Akemi's cheeks grew warm and she ducked her head, "I mean, erm, it's just sad. Yeah. That's it."


	10. Little White Lies

Rivalry

Chapter 10 ~ Little white lies like to collapse too

Kotomi hadn't come back. Rose pouted at her reflection as she brushed her soft strands of perfect golden locks. It wasn't the same with her little pet, she had felt superior with the smaller girl safely stood next to her, hanging off her every word and either mentally or physically taking notes on just about everything. She had seen the girl around school, of course, so she was able to just pass fleeting smiles and nods of the head, however, it wasn't the same and if ever Rose was able to see Kotomi when the infamous Tamaki Suoh was passing she could see the girl quite openly flinch and hide her head. It was painful to watch her former 'underling' as she liked to refer to her be in such a situation. Adjusting the bow on her uniform she rolled her eyes and almost smacked her head for being so stupid about it. She never cared all that much but that smaller girl had somehow found a way to get under her skin and it was…irritating to say the least. Pulling the hem of her skirt and taking another glance in the mirror to make sure all of her make up was intact and she still looked good, she let her chest heave as she sighed at herself and rolled her heavy lashed eyes once more, mentally screaming at herself to snap out of it. With one last flick of her hair, she left the girls bathrooms and started to head over to music room six.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

She was fine. Of course was. She didn't _care_ that Tamaki Suoh was obviously infatuated with Haruhi and that for some strange reason he referred to the boy as his…daughter? The situation would had usually been laughable if it didn't mean she had her fellow hostesses plaguing her every second of the day, asking how she was _feeling _and all the rest of the typical 'comforting' crap that usually came along with finding out the apple of your eye was in fact homosexual and was lusting after another boy he referred to as his. 'daughter.' Akemi couldn't help but shiver at that, although Emirii had a theory that Haruhi was female, it was still unsettling to think Tamaki was after her…or him. Of course, after her previous slip up, the club had kept their beady eyes on her, monitoring and assessing nearly every mood she dared to make. Despite this, Akemi acted accordingly, giving a few sad smiles here and there and tactfully saying "Oh, you know…" whenever she was asked how she was feeling. It seemed for a little while that this was working. Feeling rather smug with herself, she laid out the china carefully. They were having a 'peace' meeting with the host club, an idea that Emirii had concocted after the accidental outing of Suoh and just to make sure everything was smoothed over. The other girls were, obviously, not as enthusiastic as their leader when it came to socialising with the other hosts, except of course Anika and Asa who rarely complained about anything.

She didn't like to admit it, but she looked forward to the rare meetings and she though that a few of the others secretly did too. It was a chance to just let all hell break loose, to really throw their hands in the air and scream 'screw it.' Plus, with the incessant banter that was passed between Emirii and Kyouya, the often creeping Kasanoda who'd just stand and _watch_ Anika and the cuteness overload that came with Asa and Honey, it was hard to ever get bored in the meetings. Of course, she got to see the twins to…Which she never looked forward to, damn it!

The door flung open with abundant flamboyance that signaled the boy's arrival, the girls turned to face them and the room was thick with varied and indescribable atmosphere as they exchanged shifty looks. As per usual, Tamaki strode to 'center stage', his arms outstretched and his lips split into an aggravatingly perfect grin. Akemi hung her head, playing the part of heartbroken accordingly but she struggled to bite back a snigger as Hinata mumbled a, "Here she comes~ Miss American Dream" as Tamaki approached them all. The rest of the girls shook with laughter but quickly snapped out of it as Emirii clicked her heel on the ground sharply and grimaced at the offender. Tamaki gave a prim 'ahem' to call all attention back to him, his features lighting up as all eyes fell on him. His words drifted out of his lips in a feverish frenzy, as if they were all too eager to escape the confines of his tongue. It was just the normal 'restore official balance' talk they had heard over and over again. With a swift clap of his palms, the two groups sat orderly around the biggest table in the room with two sofas positioned opposite each other just for the occasion. Akemi found herself lodged protectively between Miyuki and Rose, both of them pointedly glaring at the Suoh boy whom, as usual, was blissfully inobservant and joking around profoundly with Kyouya. Akemi felt two secure hands come down on her shoulders and peered up to see Emirii smiling professionally but clinging on the material of Akemi's dress as if to emphasize her defensive feelings towards the younger blonde. It was all getting a bit too much but Akemi gave a smile to attempt to convey graciousness although she really did not need them all pandering at her.

Hinata sat on the arm of the chair, one arm lazily placed at the back of it and around the obviously anxious Anika whom kept looking worriedly over at the door as if she was expecting Kasanoda to pop up out of the blue and kidnap her and Asa sat on the head of the sofa and balancing her chin, rather uncomfortably, on top of the elders head. She kept letting her eyes hazily drift to Akemi and making sure she was okay without smothering her too much, unlike her companion who seemed to not know the meaning of subtlety. Only Tamaki and Kyouya were really sat on the sofa, each of the other boys had placed themselves around there as if modeling for some sort of upper class tabloid magazine. Miyuki abruptly standing up and letting out an aggravated groan as she began to pace the space between the girls sofa and the coffee table that provided a barrier for the two clubs broke the silence. Cheeks pink, Emirii took in a sharp breath and said through gritted teeth, "Miyuki…Sit down."

The usually reasonable and reserved girl shook her head defiantly so that the team leaders eyes grew stern and piecing as she repeated, even harsher than before, "Sit. Down." Each word was punctuated with a threatening gaze thrown at Miyuki as she once again shook her head and stuck out her chin, the reminiscent of an angered spoilt brat. She pointed bluntly to Tamaki and turned back to face the enraged Emirii, a low whistle sarcastically emanated from Rose's lips as the rest of the room stared blankly and intently at the disturbance of the usual blissfully awkward feeling that they endured in past meetings.

"Why do we just sit and ignore the fact _he's_ completely thrown two of our girls off track? Poor Kotomi hasn't shown her face since and it's…It's not fair that he's left not knowing what he's done!" Tamaki's eyebrows shot an inch up his forehead, unsure how to react to the younger girl scalding him as though he was a toddler again, instead of making up any type of retort, he offered rather girlish stammers and Kyouya's face contorted back to his characteristic sneer. Emirii did nothing to help the situation as the anger was almost radiating off her body and she found herself unable to say anything other than 'shut up!' or 'sit down!' Anika flinched, making both Rose and Hinata quickly jump to mother her as they stared fascinated by the apparent discomfort of the room.

"Akemi and Kotomi both overheard your conversation with him," Miyuki growled, now staring directly at the blond male and motioning towards the uncertain looking Haruhi, "He or…She, I don't even know...Well anyway, Haruhi was right. Kotomi had feelings for you and she's been so upset since that she hasn't even shown up to say hi anymore and Akemi…"

Akemi felt her cheeks flare as all eyes seemed to be on her, she suddenly became very interested in her lap and in twindling her fingers unsurely. She didn't know what she was meant to do now, it was difficult to just stay put as others discussed her.

"She tries to put on a brave face but you can tell she's upset too. She had feelings for you as well, pretty boy."

Tamaki's eyes snapped at the quivering blonde, his face also warm from either embarrassment or just sheer shock. Miyuki opened her mouth to continue but was quickly cut off by Akemi getting up and shaking her head, her vision getting blurred by frustrated tears, and her head spinning as she tried to keep up with what was going on.

"Shut up!" her yells echoed off the walls and it fell deadly silent, waiting until she knew she had Miyuki and the other hostesses undivided attention she shook her head choked out a shaky, "I lied, okay?" Not being able to bear any more judgmental looks, Akemi gave a shaky giggle and turned on her heel before promptly leaving.

It took a little while for everyone to calm down so that they were able to comprehend what had happened in such a sudden and fast matter of time. Hikaru rolled his eyes at his brother and left with his departing words being only, "She's always such a drama queen…"

When Hikaru had left, Kyouya began to snigger and got to his feet, "What a fuss…" he drawled, his framed eyes looking directly at Emirii as he spoke, "Perhaps you should have done something to stop it other than stand there like a blundering fool, hmm?" That had set off something, as if a trigger went off in Emirii's mind that made her lash out completely. She stepped from behind the sofa shrieking insults at the elder male opposite only to have Tamaki solemnly get to his feet and, idiotically, try to calm her down. The room was chucked into full scale chaos as the adolescences bickered pointlessly, throwing around obscenities like there was no tomorrow and a few scraps, even the usually quiet Haruhi argued relentlessly with Rose over something that seemed stupidly trivial. Hinata cast a weary look at Anika and Asa who watched like two children would their parents fighting, she tried to remain firmly neutral and stay out of it but as she watched the younger girls begin to get frightened she felt herself get riled up. Her eyes fell on Mori who stared back intently at her, as though they were having a silent conversation, he had his hand placed firmly on Honey's shoulder and was glaring at the bickering teenagers avidly. She nodded and he made his way to her, ruffling his younger cousins hair as he did so.

"Oi! Retards!" she attempted yelling, but no one paid any attention, she continued to yell failed attempts at trying to steal someone's glance for even a fraction of a second but to no avail. Eventually, Mori just lifted her with ease and perched her on his shoulders before murmuring, "Try again."

When she got over the initial shock of not feeling the ground beneath her feet, she called out, "Shut the hell up!" This time everyone turned curiously and watched as the tall male placed her down on the floor. She took a deep breath and rolled her eyes, "What the hell is bickering going to do? Nothing. That's what. So why don't you all just calm the fuck down. Yes, Tamaki, Kotomi had feelings for you but then overheard a conversation in which you called the little one your daughter. First things first, that's pretty messed up, especially if you like the guy. Secondly, it's not like anyone yelling is going to change how posh boy here feels, if he wants to…I don't know, frigging elope with Haruhi then we can do nothing to stop that, okay? And sec-thirdly," she couldn't help but trip over her words, "Thirdly, we thought Akemi had feelings for you but apparently now she doesn't… I don't even know. Women are scary."

And with that, the two clubs blinked feverently and slowly but surely sat down. Hinata grinned smugly, not knowing that Mori stood rather terrifyingly tall behind her and was glaring at them all in a manner that would make a mafia boss keel over and cry. Emirii huffed at Kyouya and sat where Akemi was previously perched before Miyuki shook her head and ran a hand through her hair,

"Now what? We just wait for Akemi to come back and act like happy families again?"

Admittedly, Hinata hadn't given much thought to what she planned to do next, "Ermm…" she paused before nodding firmly, "Yep. We'll give that a go."

**((A/N: SO. MUCH. LATENESS.**

**That is all.)) **


	11. Run, Bitch, Run!

Rivalry

Chapter 11~ Run, Bitch, Run!

Hikaru wasn't one for over dramatic displays, which was probably why he scowled at the girl he had cornered with all his might. She didn't look scared or bashful as most girls probably would in such a situation; instead, she glared right back with an expression so stoic it was quite alarming. The boy walked over, his steps making echoes as he did so and with a face of thunder.

"What the hell was that?" he yelled, his arms flailing around as he spoke, "You girls… You all cause nothing but trouble."

He hovered a good few inches above her, so close that she had to take a step back so that her nose wasn't pressed against his chest and the smell of over priced cologne invaded her nostrils. She didn't lose face though, Akemi glowered and gave him a slight shove so that he fell back a few paces before regaining composure, although she was attempting to look threatening or at least strong her lips were pursed in what seemed to be a childish pout and she just appeared so small next to his lanky build.

"If we're nothing but trouble then why did you run after me? Leave me alone, I can't stand the sight of your…Stupid face!" Hikaru shook his head so the rust coloured hair framing his boyish face danced and enhanced his aggravation as he grabbed her wrist, turned around and started marching her towards the music room.

"Let's get you back, princess," usually his words would have been somewhat kind even if they were usually laced in his cocky aura, however, now they only portrayed scorn. She tried to twist away but his grip was firm and he showed no sign of letting her run away.

"Let go, idiot!" He shook his head and started to chuckle as she screamed obscenities at him and pompously demanded her freed her. Instead he twisted around and pulled her into a fireman's lift, as they got closer to the music room and her screams and punches got lighter, he rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"Chill princess," he opened the door with his free hand only to see the rest of the host club had dispersed and a group of infuriated and skeptical adolescent females stared at him expectantly, his smile faded as he let her down and turned sharply on his heel to leave. Just as his hand found the door handle, he felt something collide with the back of his head and leave a sharp stinging pain behind. Looking down he saw a lone shoe and judging by her one bare foot Hikaru made a wild guess and assumed it belonged to Akemi. Rubbing the spot apprehensively, he quickly fled before he was exposed to anymore of the girl's rage.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Mori watched as his cousin gathered his things and waited for him so that they could leave and travel home together. If he was honest, he found the earlier ruckus amusing and was rather reluctant to help the girl calm them all down, but it would have been cruel of him to have left her to deal with the others on her own and she was obviously distressed by the whole thing. There were more important things he was considering though.

His eyes found his cousin's small frame as he bent down and packed his bags. Honey had not let his eyes stray from the small hostess throughout the whole ordeal and when Mori watched closely he saw them exchange a few shy smiles or nods. Selfishly, it worried him. The girl seemed sweet and easy to talk to, but that would mean there was more of a chance that honey would latch on to her and get closer. Where would that leave him? It was childish, he knew that, but he didn't want to be left behind. Of course, he always had his younger brother but it wouldn't be the same watching his younger cousin feign over a girl and actually mean it.

He had never been romantically inclined to Honey, no matter what the host club groupies liked to assume, but it didn't mean he liked it when he was left alone. Perhaps if his cousin was to get close to the girl and they started to see each other as more than friends, it would mean that Mori could branch off, maybe get a girlfriend himself…

No. He didn't want to think of it. He wanted things to continue just as they always have. However, when Honey turned around and smiled up at him, he kept his usual expression and nodded firmly.

"Ready to go?"

A grunt. He wasn't about to show his younger companion what he was actually thinking. He'd just carry on like usual because that was the only thing he knew how to do.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"That rude, ignorant, cocky, smooth talking, devious little prick!"

"You forgot obviously homosexual, Emirii."

Hinata watched, a smile playing on her lips as she observed her friend storm around the music room and rant about their rivals. Emirii wasn't known to willingly accept _anything_, her cheeks were pink and her brow peaked at her forehead, a warning sign that she was not in the mood to be messed with. The other hostesses watched in horror as she turned on her heel to confront her sarcastic companion.

"For once could you keep your sarcastic remarks to yourself? I'm sick of your attitude, Hina! You just laze around as if everything's okay, you made a bloody fool of us all today when you got that tall one to help you out. Now it looks like you're actually okay with them and that's not what we want, damn it! We need to be stronger than the host club. _Better!_" The room was thick with unsettled tension, Hinata felt her face flare up despite trying to remain calm and cool. A shaking head of wavy auburn hair popped out as Anika came to her side,

"W-we're trying our best, Emirii…" her voice wavered as the leader's enraged eyes fell on her and she shuddered under the attention like a wilting rose.

"Be _better_." Rose shook her head so her hair bobbed around her face,

"Hold on a second, your majesty, just because you're pissed with Ootori doesn't mean you can take it out on us, okay? Leave poor Anika alone. If you want us to do better then stop poncing around like an absolute idiot around the hosts, it's your damn temper that makes Kyouya poke fun at you."

Emirii opened her mouth to retort but was cut short when Asa let out a small cry, real tears slid down her cheeks as she started to weep like a small child. It was the first time any of them had seen her face grace an expression that wasn't a carefree smile. She shook her head rapidly and sunk into Akemi when the blonde girl attempted to comfort her.

"Shut up! Shut up all of you!" They moved around uncomfortably, "Why can't you all just…leave it alone? Please? This used to be so much fun and now everyone's gone all sad and I don't like it!"

Hinata let her gaze rest on Emirii as she arched an eyebrow as if to say something she wanted to but couldn't convey it physically. The blonde leader felt her chest heave with a sigh before murmuring quietly,

"Let's just…Get cleaned up and go home."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Rose lay on her bed restlessly, the drama had really taken its toll on her mood and energy. She twisted around on top of her bed sheets, now clothed in comfortable 'lounging' apparel. Her face flushed as she led on her side. There had to be a way she could get everything back to normal so everyone could just…relax and they could continue with childish and miniscule issues. Then, something came to her.

Pulling herself up in a hurry, she her body tremble with excitement as she reached for her phone and dialed.

"Yeah? What is it?"  
>"Emirii!" she said breathlessly, "I need to talk to you about something. I have an idea."<p> 


	12. Oh dear

Rivalry

Chapter 12 ~ Oh Dear

"You guys aren't gonna like this."

In Kyouya's mind, Kasanoda was nothing but a tag along, just an irritant they couldn't shake and that was persistently there making himself known. However, the smug grin on his face and the faint trail of blood just peeping from his nose immediately alarmed him. Adjusting his glasses and making a show of looking business like, Kyouya grinned and nodded, hoping to seem unfazed and ready for anything. "What is it Kasanoda?" he kept his calm persona in tact and only faltered slightly when the redhead in front of him shifted uncomfortably and started to stammer.

"S'just…You'll want to see it for yourself." Kyouya rolled his eyes and turned to the other members of the group whom, as usual, was eavesdropping.

"Kaoru, Haruhi and Mori…You all go," he picked each name as it came to him, having not really thought over who would be best. In all honesty, he wasn't sure what else Emirii could have thought of, usually she would have reached her limit so he wasn't too bothered about the situation nor by the obviously uncaring reaction of the three chosen members as they walked at a snails pace towards the door.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Welcome home, master!"

Asa grinned as she saw the three new visitors enter and bounded over. Despite her last outburst, she was determined to show that the host club would never get the better of her, a sweet smile found it's way to her lips as she bowed her head in the manner she had always been trained to and let a flush creep on her cheeks. They stood out like a sore thumb, each of them strikingly beautiful just as abnormal species were described as in cliché adolescent novels, however, she was so used to it now it was as if she didn't even notice how separated they seemed to be from the other students. Instead she treated them as she would any other customer.

"Hello masters, sorry to keep you waiting."

Nonetheless, it wasn't hard to notice how each of them seemed to let their eyes linger on her attire a little longer than they usually did although Haruhi and Mori seemed at ease with it, Kaoru's face flushed and he began to stutter slightly. She felt a cheeky little smile twinge at the corners of her lips as she tilted her head innocently as though unaware to what was going on. Turning on her heel, Asa clasped her hands behind her back as she walked whilst saying,

"Follow me to your table and we'll make sure you're all seen to as quickly as possible, please ask if there's anything we could get you."

Rose was a genius. She knew it too as she saw the three hosts' take their seats, her smile stretched up to her eyes and she played with the hem of her skirt.

A maid café. Why hadn't they thought of this earlier?

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Take care of yourself!"  
>The session had passed with little problems or malfunctions. Feeling rather proud of herself, Rose sashayed about the music room and made a show of assisting her fellow ladies with the aftermath cleaning. It seemed rather casual, even when the hosts came in, the laidback aura firmly made its self known and everyone was talking as if all rivalry had been forgotten.<p>

However, the peace was short-lived as the quiet room was then full of a group of fumbling teenage hosts. Tamaki let out a girlish squeak before frantically grappling on to Kyouya's arm, tugging at it like a worried child would to a parent, the smaller teen adjusted his frames before smirking as the blond began to stutter at his companion.

"Kyouya! Look at them! Young ladies shouldn't be wearing skimpy clothing like this! It was a clever ploy! I bet that Emirii girl was behind this, look!"

He flailed, his words failing to grasp any real attention from the more sensible of the two. Kyouya simply smiled disturbingly pleasantly at each of the girls in turn, "How clever of you to play on young men's fantasies, you all look rather fetching dressed like that though…The barely clothed look seems to suit you all, though, I'm not too sure if it attracts the right attention, ladies…."

"You're one too talk," for once it was neither Emirii or Hinata whom had retorted, Miyuki rolled her eyes and crossed her arms around her chest, "When it comes to playing about with fantasies, you guys are all experts."

"Not to mention, tweedledee and tweedledum over there practically screwing in the corners of your sessions. Really, I know you all have low standards but I'm sure incest is too far in anyone's books?" Akemi grinned triumphantly at the twins before they lunged at her and the three was caught up in the usual banter they had when the host and hostess clubs were thrust together.

Hinata felt the corners of her lips twitch downward threateningly, she attempted to keep face since that was all she was good at doing when it came to the arguments that sprung between the two clubs, her eyes wandered to Mori as she silently prayed she wouldn't need his help to calm down the situation once again before they flashed to Emirii who, for once, seemed completely calm.

"Well, whilst we're glad that you boys appreciate our costumes, we also do need to tidy," she grinned and flashed a cheeky wink, "So, Ootori, unless you're thinking of helping, you and your boys can go scamper back to your little hole." It wasn't one of her best retorts, but it was a great deal better than nothing.

"Oh my dears, you really don't have any idea what you've got yourself into, do you?" If this were a cliché horror film, then Kyouya's words would be matched with dramatic music and lightning in the background, the precision in his tone made it clear that they were not a threat.

They were a promise.


	13. Author's Note - GROW SOME BALLS, EMILY!

Author's Note

Well, this isn't going to be fun at all...

I had a message earlier on in the week asking about this fanfic and I realised I was far overdue an apology to everyone's who's read and enjoyed this fic. First, I want to say thanks for all the reviews, favourites, follows and generally nice things that you guys have done to support the story, it really made me happy to read all of the feedback and hear people were enjoying it.

Okay. Now comes the horrible part.

I can't continue with the story anymore and I feel really bad saying it. I felt like I was letting you guys down because I wasn't writing to the best of my abilities and thinking up chapters and ways to fit characters in and twists and developments and ARRRGHHH all of that was getting more and more of a chore and I think my work suffered for it. I wasn't proud at all and I noticed that my updates were getting farther and wider-spread apart which sucks :c

It's not fair keeping you guys waiting for half-assed updates ^^''

I really feel like I've gotten to know a lot of lovely people through writing this story and I'd love to keep in touch and if you have any requests regarding fanfiction or your hostesses or anything then please write me, it'd be lovely to hear from you!

Again, I'm really sorry guys

Maybe one day I'll continue with it, but for the moment in time this story counts as discontinued.

And now I'm sad :c


End file.
